The autumn season brings with it changing of the leaf colors, cool fresh breezes and the arrival of harvest time. This time of the year is full of delightful festivities that are a traditional way to welcome the fall. Let’s take you through America’s top 5 fall festivals that could even inspire you to embrace a new family tradition.

1 – National Apple Harvest Festival

The month of October has arrived and so has the apple harvest time. The tiny towns of Arendtsville and Biglerville in Pennsylvania are well known all over the country for the National Apple Harvest Festival. This festival is held at the South Mountain Fairgrounds. The visitors can get to drink fresh apple cider, have a go at apple dumplings and also get hands on fresh apples. It is held during the first fortnight of October and also includes live music, native American dances and much more.

2 – Harvest on the Harbor

Every year in October, about 5,000 people gather up north in Maine to celebrate 4-day long Harvest on the Harbor Festival. It celebrates Maine’s local delicacies such as its food, chefs, beers and wines. More than 250 restaurants in the area have achieved excellence in preparing safe, locally harvested seafood. The festival includes intriguing competitions such as Best Farm to Table Restaurant and Lobster Chef of the Year. The participants of the festival also get to taste a number of local as well as foreign foods in addition to lovely live music.

3 – German Village Oktoberfest

The Columbus Oktoberfest in Ohio is held in a 100,000 square feet pavilion. This mammoth acreage has spaces allocated for drinking brews of all sorts, platforms for live music and dance floors for showing off different dance moves. It is primarily a festival that celebrates bear but also includes dexterous craftsmen from across the country selling their intricately designed products. The festival also features a parade as well as German food favorites such as frankfurters and German potato salad.

4 – Wellfleet Oysterfest

Having gained international fame because of the quality of its oysters, the town of Wellfleet hosts a 2-day long Wellfleet Oysterfest every year. The festival is not all about oysters and clams though. Skillful craftsmen display their products including jewelry and other handmade items as well. The highlight of the festival is the shucking-off competition in which the participants are given 24 oysters and are graded based on their speed, accuracy and sophistication. Points are deducted for mutilated oysters, broken shells etc. The fastest shucker in last year’s competition was able to shuck off his oysters in less than 2 minutes. Pretty impressive!

5 – Wine and Chile Fiesta

The cuisine in Santa Fe, a small town in New Mexico, is famous for its traditional inclination towards chilies. It is a 5-day long autumn festival that brings together local as well as national restaurants. Wine tastings, cooking shows, luncheons and dinners are some of the main features. The final event of the festival is organized at the Santa Fe Opera House. It displays food and wine from the participating restaurants and a grand tasting is held.